Will there be times when a solo Kirk normally plays will be turned over to a cellist or violinist? How do you think audiences from the days of Haydn or Shostakovich would’ve reacted to Metallica’s music? The legacy and the traditions of music have to be brought forward by the generation of musicians who are currently alive, and I think that’s a very brave step for Metallica. That doesn’t mean they have to play heavy metal, but orchestras in general have to figure out how to make more of an event out of their concerts if they want to keep attracting an audience. But it’s time to make sure that orchestras remain relevant in this day and age. The average symphony goer is a very nice person who loves repertoire and treats the orchestra with reverence and loves Beethoven and Brahms, classical music that’s brilliant and relevant to our feelings but was written a couple of hundred years ago. But I don’t think we’re interested in the average symphony goer. No one will fight over this this is meant to draw people together.ĭo you think it’s realistic to imagine that there will actually be fans crossing over here: Metallica fans rushing out to buy Handel’s “Messiah” or symphony fans rushing out to buy Ride the Lightening ? I doubt it will be as aggressive as it was in Paris in 1913, when Stravinsky premiered “The Rite of Spring.” People were vociferously objecting to what they were hearing on an intellectual level and actual fights broke out in the audience.

How do you figure the average Metallica fan will react to symphonic music? Will there be moshing in the aisles? There’s one bit in “Call of Ktulu” that actually sounds to me like Brahms. In listening to and orchestrating Metallica’s music, do you find they evoke a certain composer?Ĭertain sections feel in the mold of a Shostakovich symphony–driving, threatening, gloriously big sounds. And the delicacy and nuance of an orchestra is something that Metallica are eager to experience. That kind of energy is something orchestras really need a sample of. Is there something in particular about Metallica’s music that lends itself to this kind of endeavor? In short, if this Metallica symphony thing fails miserably, he’ll still be able to get work.

In addition to his classical duties with symphonies from London to San Francisco, he’s scored over 60 films, from Brazil to Die Hard (and both sequels) arranged music for Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, David Bowie and Eric Clapton wrote the largest selling single of all time, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” for Bryan Adams won two of the nine Grammies for which he’s been nominated has been nominated for two Oscars, four Golden Globes, and an Emmy. Michael Kamen The Maestro of Puppets Conducts Metallica’s Symphony for the Devil Greg HellerĬomposer, arranger, songwriter, recording artist and conductor Michael Kamen has a fairly impressive resume.

Metallica with michael kamen